Corner lock for bedsteads



July 7, 1925. 1,544,683

H. RICHARDSON CORNER LOCK FOR BEDSTEADS Original Filed Dec. 5, 1921 2Sheets-Sheet 1 7 9, 60 m 7v 5 I .H l g MO I H 3 1 l l m n- I I M 1 2QWFM J Q I lflllil ilrqv July 7, 1925.

H'. RICHARDSON CORNER LOCK FOR BEDSTEADS Original Filed Dec. 5, 1921 ZSheets-Shet 2 71116721231! Hmy Ro'cizardsom,

Patented July 17, 1325.

warren era-res PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY RICHARDSON, orcir'loneo, rumors;

CORNER LOCK. non IBEDSTEADS.

Continuation of application Serial No. 519,871, filed. ljecelnber5,1921. This application filed January V 16, 1922'. Se ial No. 529,445.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY RICHARDSON, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CornerLooks for Bedsteads, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to improvements in what are commonly known ascorner locks for bedsteads, including the instrumentalities by which theside rails or end rails of a bedstead frame, or the side rails of a bedspring are separably united to the corner posts of the bedstead frame;

An important object of the invention is to provide a simple means forstrongly and.

rigidly locking the side or end rails or both to the corner post bracketpreferably formed of sheet metal that shall be self-locking and willsecurelyhold the side rail in the bracket and will maintain the perfectrectangular relation in a vertical plane of the corner post and siderail, preventing any tipping or canting of theformer either under heweight carried by the bed frame or under longitudinal pulling strains Astill further object of the invention is to provide an improvedconstruction of corner bracket and locking means that, in addition tothe advantages above pointed out, will permit the side'rails to beinverted so as to support either a bed spring frame or slats. e

I ther objects and attendant advantages of the invention will beapparent to persons skilled in the art as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, wherein I have shown severalspecific forms or embodiments of the principle of the invention, and inwhich- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved bracket shown appliedto a corner post, and with the side and end rails secured thereto by myimproved locking means;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, in section through the siderail;

Fig. 3 is a perspective elevation of the side rail attachment thatenters and interlocks with the corner bracket;

Fig. l is a top plan View of Fig. 2, in hori- Zontal section through thebed post;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through the corner bracket on the line5-5 of of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a sheet metal blank from which the side railattachment is formed;

Fig.8 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the side rail appliedininverted position;

Figs. ;9, 1 0, 11 and 12 are views corresponding to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4,respectively, showing a square corner post and a modification of thelocking devices in the side walls of the bracket and side railattachment;

Fig. 13 is a plan View, similar to Fig. 7

of a sheet metal blank from which the side rail, or rail attachment,tothe bracket, said locking means being designed to accomplish as 1tsprincipal b180t the maintenance of a rigid rectangular relation in avertical plane of the side rail and the corner post of the bed frame,and prevent any tipping or canting of the corner post either under aload on the bed frame or by pulling or pushing the latter over thefloor, it being well known that the latter operation involves a severebending strain on the corner brackets and the side rail fastening means.

Referring first to the form of the inventionillustrated in Figs. 1 to 8inclusive, 1 designates a round corner post of a bed frame, to which issecured a box-like bracket comprising a rear wall 2, parallel outer andinner side walls'3 and 4E, and a bottom wall or plate 5.1 Where thisbracket is made from sheet metal it is out and bent to the shape shown.The side walls 3 and l may consist of integral forward extensions fromthe back plate 2, and the bottom wall or plate may consist of anupwardly bent extension of the side wall 3. To provide support for thefree edge of the bottom plate 5, the inner side wall 4 may be providedon its lower edge with an integral extension or flange 6 bent upwardlybeneath the free edge of the bottom plate 5, as clearly shown in Figs.2, and 6. For the attachment of an end rail 7, the bottom plate 5 isformed with a horizontal extension 8, and the lower portion of the backplate 2 is formed with a lateral vertical extension 9 to which extensionlugs the horizontal and vertical limbs of the end rail 7 are secured byrivets 10 and 11. The back plate 2 is attached to the corner post bysuitable bolts 12.

13 designates a side rail, which may be either a side rail of the bedframe or a side rail of a spring frame. To each end of this side rail issecured a specially formed extension that enters and co-operates withthe corner bracket. Where this extension member is made of sheet metal,as is preferable, it is cut and bent to shape from a flat blank shown inFig. 7, wherein 14 and 15 form the top and bottom horizontal walls, 16the outer side wall, and 17 and 18 together constitute the inner sidewall. The parts are bent at rightangles on the dotted lines shown inFig. 7, and, for the purpose of increased rigidity, the complementaryside wall sections 17 and 18 are formed, one with a notch 19 and theother with a tongue 20 fitting said notch. The top wall 14 and outerside wall 16 are formed with integral longitudinal extensions 21 and 22constituting the attachment lugs by which the extension member issecured to the side rail through rivets 23.

In the bottom plate 5 of the bracket is rigidly secured an upstandingstud 24, and the top and bottom plates 14 and 15 of the rail extensionmember are formed with holes 25 and 26, respectively, the hole 26 beingengaged with the stud 24 when the side rail is in upright position, asshownin Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and the hole 25 being engaged with the stud 24when the side rail is applied in inverted position, as shown in Fig. 8.

In this form of the invention the stud 24, in cooperation with the holes25 and 26, constitutes the lower locking means. I will next describe oneform of upper locking means which may be used in co-operation with thelower locking means to insure the locking of the side rail to thebracket and the angular rigidity of the side rail and corner p Securedin and extending between the side walls 3 and 4 of the bracket is a pin27 which bonds said walls together. In the outer side wall of theextension member are opposed upper and lower vertical notches 28 and 29,and in the inner side wall of the extension member are correspondingupper and lower vertical notches 28 and 29. The notches on each side areprovided with a common entrance slot 30, 30 that extends lengthwise ofthe outer portion of the side wall, as best shown in Fig. 3. In enteringthe rail extension into the bracket, the slots 30, 30 pass over the pin27, and as the latter comes into the vertical plane of the verticalnotches, the rail is lowered, bringing the notches 28 and 28 intoengagement with the pin 2'? if the rail is upright, and the notches 29,29 into engagement with the pin it the rail is in ver ted. As the railextension is thus lowered into locking engagement with the pin 2?,simultaneously the hole 26 or 25 en gages with the stud 24. The pin 27thus co-operates with the stud 24 in opposing pulling out strains andbending strains in a vertical plane between the side rail and post,

and also partly relieves the bottom plate 5 of the bracket from thestrain of the weight carried by the bed.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 9 to 13 inclusive, thecorner bracket is identical with that already described, but the railextension member and its upper locking means are slightly varied, andare of such a nature as to permit the rail to be self-locked to thebracket under a simple relative vertical movement or" the parts. Thesheet metal blank from which the extension. member is formed, and whichis shown in Fig. 13, includes side plates 30 and 31 and top and bottomplates 32 and 33, bent into box 102111 on the dotted lines shown in Fig.13, with integral attachment lugs 34 and 35 on the said walls 31 and 32respectively for securing the attachment to the side rail 13. In thisconstruction the side walls of the bracket are formed with verticalslots 36;

and the side walls of the rail extension member are equipped with headedstuds 37 that, as the rail is engaged with the bracket, slide downwardlythrough the slots 36 and come to rest in the lower ends of the lattersimultaneously with the engagement of the stud 24 with one of the holes25, 26 of the extension member. The studs 37 being located mid-height ofthe extension member obviously serve to support the side rail in eitherupright or inverted position. In Figs. 9, 10 and 11 I have shown thebracket applied to a square post 1, but obviously the cross sectionalform of the post is immaterial, since the rear wall of the bracket isreadily shaped to conform to and fit the same. To permit the end of therail QXJEQH". sion member to readily pass the head of the upperfastening bolt 12 I have shown top and bottom walls 32 and 33 notchedout at 38. i

In lieu-of using separate studs 37 I may replace the same by a singletransverse pin 39 mounted in and extending between the side walls 30 and31 of the rail extension,

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with a central enlargement or spacing sleeve 40, as shown in Fig.- 14.

Another important advantage of the present invention is that it providesreversibly manently fastened to the .side rail proper and constitute ineffect end portions of the latter, it is to be understood that whereverthe ends or end portions of the side rail are referred to in thisspecification or in the claims, I have meant to designate eitherintegral end portions, or attached end portions, of the side rails. Theterm side rail as used herein isintended to include either the side railof a bed frame or the side rail of a bed spring frame.

It is believed that the foregoing description in connection with thedrawingswill make clear to those skilled in the art the novel structuralfeatures of the present invention and the principle underlying the same.Manifestly the forms shown and described by no means exhaust thestructural variations and modifications that are possible within theprinciple of the invention, but they are believed to be sufiicient tomake clear the structural and functional advantages which inhere'therein. While I have herein shown the co-operating interlocking meansas consisting of pins and slots, I do not limit such means to thesespecific devices which manifestly may be substituted by any projectingmembers integral or otherwise on one part interfitting with slots orrecesses in the other. Hence, I do not limit the invention to thespecific forms, arrangements and proportions shown in the drawings, but

reserve all such variations and modifications as fall within the spiritand purview of the appended claims.

I claim 1. In a corner lock for bedsteads, the combination of a bracket,an angular side rail entered within said bracket having its verticalwall engaged with a vertical wall of the latter by means of upperco-operating rail locking elements on the said walls interlocking withone another through a relative vertical niovement'of the said elements,

whereby the said bracket and side rail are held against relativehorizontal movement, and lower co-operating rail locking elements on theend, portion of the said side rail and a horizontal member of the saidbracket interlocking the said end portion with the said horizontalmember and acting jointly with the said upper cc-cperating rail lockingelements to hold the said bracket and side rail against relative angularmovement in a vertical plane.

2'. In a corner lock for bedsteads, the combination of a bracketcomprising a back wall adapted to fit the bed post, a side wall, and ahorizontally disposed member, a side rail having an end portion providedwith upper and lower horizontal walls disposed within the said bracket,an upper rail locking elementon the said side wall of the bracket and avertical limb of the said side rail end portion co-operating, under arelative vertical movement, to interlock the said side wall with thesaid vertical limb and a jecting outwardly from the said back wall,

and a horizontally disposed member, a side railend portion provided withupper and lower horizontal limbs disposed within the said bracket, anupper rail locking element on a vertical limb or" the said side rail endportion eo-operating with an upper rail look ing element on the sidewall oi the bracket to interlock the said vertical limb with the saidside wall in either the upright or inverted position of the said siderail, and lower means for locking a horizontal limb oi the said siderail end portion to the said horizontally disposed member of thebracketin either the upright or inverted position of the said side rail, saidmeans also co-operating with the said upper co-operating rail lockingelements to hold the said bracket and side rail against relative angularmovement in a vertical plane.

4. In a corner lock for bedsteads, the com bination of a bracket, anangle iron side rail having its vertical wall interlocked with avertical wall of the said bracket on the inner side of said bracket wallby upper locking means including a pin on one of the said wallsinterlocking with a slot in the other of the said walls under a relativevertical movement of the said slot and pin, and lower means for lockinga horizontal member of said angle iron sine rail to a horizontallydisposed member of the said bracket.

5. In a corner lock for bedsteads, the combination of a bracket, a siderail having a vertical wall engaged with a vertical wall of the saidbracket by means of a pin carried by one of said portions andinterlocking with a slot in the other of said portions, and means forinterlocking a horizontal member of the said side rail with a bottomplate of the said bracket, comprising an upstanding Int! pin on the saidbottom plate engaged with an aperture in the horizontal member of saidside rail.

6. In a corner lock for bedsteads, the combination of a bracket having aback plate adapted to be secured to a bed post, and outer and inner sideplates, a pin mounted on and bonding together the upper portions of saidside plates, at side rail having a vertical end portion entered withinsaid bracket, said end portion being provided with a T-shaped slotadapted to engage with the said cross-pin under a downward movement 01said side rail in either the upright or in verted position of thelatter, and lower reversibly acting auxiliary means on the said bracketand side rail brought into operative engagement under the said downwardmovement of the side rail and locking the latter against endwisewithdrawal from said bracket.

7. In a corner lock for bedsteads, the combination of a box bracket, aside rail having an end portion including outer and inner vertical limbsadapted to engage within and between the side walls of said bracket,cooperating pin-and-slot means on the said bracket and side rail endportion, brought into co-operative engagement by a relative verticalmovement of said rail end portion and bracket, for locking said partsagainst separation in a horizontal direction in either the upright orinverted position of said side rail, and other co-operating pin-and-slotmeans on the said outer and inner vertical limbs of the side rail endportion and the side walls of the bracket also brought into co-operativeengagement by a relative vertical movement of said rail end portion andbracket, and co-operating with said first named pin-and-slot means tohold said side rail and bracket against relative angular movement in avertical plane in either the upright or inverted position of said siderail.

8. In a corner lock for bedsteads, the combination of a box brackethaving vertically slotted side walls, a side rail having an end portionincluding outer and inner vertical limbs adapted to engage within andbetween the side walls of said bracket, co-opcrating pin-and-slot meanson the said bracket and side rail end portion, brought into co-operativeengagement by a relative vertical movement of said rail end portion andbracket, for locking said parts against separation in a horizontaldirection in either the upright or inverted position of said side rail,and outwardly projecting pins on the side walls of said side rail endportion engaging with the vertical slots in the side walls of saidbracket under a relative ver tical movement of said rail end portion andbracket, and co-operating with said first named pin-and-slot means tohold said side rail and bracket against relative angular movement in avertical plane in either the upright or inverted position of said siderail.

9. A sheet-metal bracket for bedsteads, comprising integral rear, sideand bottom walls, horizontal and vertical attachment lugs for an endrail, said horizontal lug constituting an extension oi said bottom wall,and said vertical lug constituting an extension of said back wallextending below the plane of said bottom wall.

10. In a corner lock for bedsteads, the combination of a bracketcomprising a back plate adapted to lit the bed post, and outer and innerside plates, and a horizontal bottom plate between the latter, a siderail end portion having outer and inner vertically disposed platesfitting between the said outer and inner side plates of the bracket, anda horizontal bottom plate, a rail locking ele ment on each side wall ofthe bracket interlooking with a co-operating rail locking element oneach vertical member of the said side rail end portion, and a pin on oneof said bottom plates co-operating with an aperture in the other of saidbottom plates.

11. In a corner lock for bedsteads, the combination with a box-likebracket having a cross-pin mounted in and between its side walls, ofaside rail end portion having spaced vertical walls and formed withopposed vertical notches in said vertical walls and central longitudinalentrance slots communicating at their inner ends with said verticalnotches, whereby said end portion may be entered into said bracket underan endwise movement and is supported and prevented from pulling out bythe engagement of a pair of said notches with said cross-pin in bothupright and inverted positions of said side rail, and interlocking means011 said bracket and side rail end portion co-operating with saidcross-pin and the vertical notches engaged thereby to hold said siderail and bracket against relative angular movement in a vertical plane.

12. In a corner lock for bedsteads, the combination of a sheet-metalbracket comprising a post plate for attachment to a corner post or bed,a straight vertical outer side plate, and an inner side plate, andbonding means consisting of a pin immediately facing said post plate forbonding said side plates together, said pin also constituting an upperrail locking element, an angle side rail entered within and lying whollybetween the outer and inner side plates of said bracket having avertical limb thereof formed with a vertical slot constituting an upperrail locking element adapted to lockingly engage with said pin, saidside rail having its end portion beyond said slot extending between thesaid bonding means and post plate, and lower rail locking means on thesaid bracket and side rail end IUD portion comprising a memberprojecting from one or" said parts interfitting with a recess in theother of said parts.

13. In a corner lock for bedsteads, the combination of a sheet-metalbracket having a post plate, outer and inner side walls and a bottomplate, an upper rail locking element comprising a cross-pin mounted onand bonding said outer and inner side walls to one another, a side railhaving an end portion entered within said bracket, said end portionbeing provided. with an upper vertical rail locking slot embracing saidcrosspin, and lower rail lockingelements on said end portion and thesaid bottom plate of the bracket, said last-named elements comprising amember projecting from one of said parts interfitting with a recess inthe other of said parts under a relative down- Ward movement of saidside rail and bracket.

14. In a corner lock for bedsteads, the

combination of ashcet metal bracket having a back wall and outer andinner side walls, a pin bonding said side walls together and forming anupper rail locking element, a horizontal member inwardly bent from thelower edge of said outer side wall, an end rail attached to saidhorizontal member, and, through the latter, opposing outward bending ofthe lower portion of said outer side wall, a side rail engageable withinsaid bracket and formed with a vertical slot embracing said pin, saidside rail having its end portion beyond said slot extending between thesaid pin and the back wall of the bracket, and lower rail lockingelements comprising co-operating means on said side rail end port-ionand the lower portion of said bracket respectively locking said siderail against endwise withdrawal from said bracket.

HENRY RICHARDSON.

